The present invention relates to protective plate members for use with wooden structural components and, more particularly, to a seat plate joined to the outer end portion of a building structural member to provide protection against crushing of the structural member as well as against moisture, humidity and the like.
During the installation of various building structural members such as trusses, joists and the like, it has been found to be beneficial to provide a protective member on the lower or outer end portion of such members, particularly at the location where the structural member rests on a support member such as a tie beam or cement block. Such a protective member provides protection against damage due to crushing of the structural member and also protection against moisture, humidity and other factors which can cause deterioration of the structural member.
Previous protective members for such trusses and joists have included configurations such as a flat plate member having a plurality of teeth struck therefrom, which plate is set in place on the bottom surface of a wooden truss member, for example, with teeth projecting upwardly, and then struck with a hammer to embed the teeth in the bottom surface of the truss. During construction of a building, the truss member with plate member attached is then rested upon a support member, with the plate member providing a protective interface between the truss and support member. The use of such a flat plate member has been accompanied by various problems, however, including the necessity for lifting a truss member which may already be in position on the support member, so as to provide access to the bottom of the truss and installation of the flat plate thereon.